Officials and family members clean up historical Hatfield & McCoy Feud sites

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) - Local officials and family members from both sides of the Hatfield and McCoy Feud are taking Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14, to clean up historical sites across the county.

“You have descendants that have come together, city and county government, city and county tourism, and folks from the region coming to clean historic sites and leaving them a little better than we found them,” said Pike County Tourism Executive Director Tony Tackett.

On Friday, the group focused on the Perry Cline Gravesite as well as Dils Cemetery, where McCoy patriarch, Randolph McCoy, and several other family members were buried.

Descendants from both sides of the feud came to honor their families and help the cause, including a direct descendent of Randolph McCoy from Durham, North Carolina.

“This is one of the greatest honors I think I can bestow into my ancestors,” said McCoy Descendant, Ron McCoy. “They left me quite a legacy. I’m the great-great-great-grandson of Randolph McCoy.”

McCoy said the historical sites are not only a part of his family’s heritage but a part of Eastern Kentucky culture.

“It’s not just our heritage, it belongs to Pike County, it belongs to all the citizens here,” said McCoy. “It belongs to Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. It’s our joint heritage, and we should all be proud of it.”

Pike County Tourism Commissioner and Hatfield descendant Bob Scott is excited to see the future of the region. He said his family’s history could help local tourism and the post-coal economy.

“Can tourism replace it? Coal? No, but it can sure help. Can the university help? Can the medical centers help?,” said Scott, “We’re sitting on a time bomb and, as I say again, here we go.”

Tackett said there will be a clean-up effort in the Hardy area of Pike County on Saturday at several sites, such as the Hog Trial Cabin, Pawpaw Tree Incident site, family wells and family cemeteries.

You can find out how to help in the clean-up efforts by calling the Pike County Tourism office at (606) 444-5500 or by visiting the Pike County Tourism website.

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